What Cyclana Bio does

Cyclana Bio is a UK-based biotechnology company developing tissue-level therapeutics for women's health, with an initial focus on endometriosis — a condition affecting approximately 1 in 10 women (around 190 million worldwide) where diagnostic delays average 7–10 years and effective non-hormonal, non-surgical treatments remain scarce. Headquartered at the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge (LiveLabs, Meditrina Building), the company operates a tissue-first drug discovery platform that targets the extracellular matrix (ECM), the non-cellular component of tissue that most intracellular-mechanism drug programmes neglect. The company is led by Co-Founder & CEO Dr. Léa Wenger and Co-Founder & CSO Prof. Kevin Chalut, both formerly of Altos Labs, alongside CTO Dr. Jonathan Griffiths, Director of Discovery and Translational Biology Helen Harrison, and five additional founding scientists drawn from Altos Labs, Cambridge, Merck, Kymab/Sanofi, and MSD.

The core platform combines four interlocking components: (1) a Menstrual Fluid Donation Programme that captures patient-derived samples containing stem cells, hormonal biomarkers, and DNA from donors in Cambridge and London; (2) primary cell isolation and culture from biopsies and menstrual fluid; (3) first-of-kind 3D in vitro tissue-level disease models that recapitulate the endometrial tissue niche; and (4) AI-driven multi-omic integration via computational genomics and machine learning to identify and prioritise novel druggable targets. The platform is operationalised through the PEMP (Predicting Endometriosis Mechanisms and Populations) 500-patient clinical observational study, conducted at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Rosie Hospital) and North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (Peterborough City Hospital). PEMP received Health Research Authority and Research Ethics Committee approval (reference 26/LO/0043) in May 2026, with first patients recruited at Peterborough City Hospital.

Cyclana Bio is pre-revenue. Operations are funded by a £5 million (~$6.7 million) pre-seed round closed in October 2025 and co-led by NfX and Eka Ventures, with additional participation from Cocoa, A/B, Lavender, and Accelerate@Babraham. The intended future revenue model is out-licensing or co-development of drug candidates with pharmaceutical partners targeting the extracellular matrix in endometriosis and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Distribution and customer access today are non-commercial, comprising clinical study recruitment via two NHS hospital sites and a community-led menstrual fluid donation programme.

Name

Cyclana Bio

Legal name

Cycle Therapeutics

Website

https://cyclanabio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cyclana Bio is a Cambridge-based women's health biotechnology company developing extracellular matrix-targeted therapeutics for endometriosis, using patient-derived 3D in vitro disease models, menstrual fluid samples, and AI-integrated multi-omic data from a 500-patient NHS clinical observational study.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Health Biotechnology

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

In Vivo Discovery & Translational Models Platforms (humanized models, PK/PD, efficacy) (HLAAAIAK), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Women’s Health & Reproductive Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAN)

Keywords

• Drug discovery research
• Endometriosis therapeutics
• Extracellular matrix biology
• 3D disease models
• Multi-omic data analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pre-revenue drug discovery and development: Currently pre-revenue; operating on £5M pre-seed funding. Future revenue expected to come from out-licensing drug candidates or co-development partnerships with pharmaceutical companies for therapeutics targeting the extracellular matrix in endometriosis and other chronic inflammatory diseases.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cyclana Bio is a tissue-level drug discovery company developing therapeutics for women's health, starting with endometriosis. It combines patient-derived 3D in vitro disease models of the endometrial tissue niche, extracellular matrix (ECM) biology, menstrual fluid-based sample collection, and AI-driven multi-omic data integration to identify and prioritise novel druggable targets. Its current outputs are the PEMP 500-patient clinical observational study and an ongoing menstrual fluid donation programme, with future revenue expected from out-licensing drug candidates or co-development partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.

Product overview

Cyclana Bio operates a single integrated tissue-level drug discovery platform rather than a multi-product SaaS suite, centred on the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Therapeutics Platform. This core platform is operationalised through three tightly coupled programs: (1) the Menstrual Fluid Donation Program supplies patient-derived samples; (2) these feed into the In Vitro 3D Endometriosis Disease Models that recapitulate the endometrial tissue niche; and (3) insights from both feed the PEMP (Predicting Endometriosis Mechanisms and Populations) clinical observational study, which together generate the AI-integrated multiomic data and target hypotheses the company uses to develop tissue-level therapeutics for endometriosis and other chronic inflammatory conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PEMP (Predicting Endometriosis Mechanisms and Populations) Clinical Observational Study A 500-patient UK NHS clinical observational study collecting endometrial tissue, lesion biopsies and menstrual fluid from women undergoing gynaecological procedures at Peterborough City Hospital and Rosie Hospital (Cambridge), with the goal of uncovering endometriosis mechanisms, discovering biomarkers and identifying novel druggable targets.
• Menstrual Fluid Donation Programme An ongoing sample-collection initiative recruiting women in the Cambridge and London area to donate menstrual fluid via menstrual cups, supplying stem cells, hormonal biomarkers and DNA for the company's 3D disease models and biomarker discovery, and returning personal health insights to participants.
• Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Therapeutics Platform Proprietary scientific platform targeting the extracellular matrix — the non-cellular component of tissue — to develop tissue-level therapeutics, starting with endometriosis and planned to expand to other chronic inflammatory indications sharing similar tissue-level mechanisms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500-patient PEMP clinical observational study approved by HRA/REC (study number 26/LO/0043), with first patients recruited at Peterborough City Hospital and recruitment beginning at Rosie Hospital, Cambridge (May 2026).
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-conducts the PEMP (Predicting Endometriosis Mechanisms and Populations) 500-patient clinical observational study via the Rosie Hospital, Cambridge. Cambridge site Investigator Dr. Norman Shreeve. Provides clinical infrastructure, patient access, and recruitment within the patient journey.
• North West Anglia NHS Foundation TrustcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-conducts the PEMP study via Peterborough City Hospital. Site Principal Investigator M. Lukasz Polanski. Provides clinical infrastructure and patient access for the 500-patient study.
• Zyme CommunicationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR agency contact for Cyclana Bio press releases (Anna Bakewell). Provides media relations and communications support for the company's funding and clinical study announcements.
• Prof. Jan BrosensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific advisor and collaborator. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Warwick and Scientific Director of Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research; over 400 research papers on the human endometrium in miscarriage, infertility, endometriosis and endometrial cancer.
• Dr. Annalisa Jenkins OBEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific advisor and collaborator. Biopharma thought leader with 25+ years of industry experience; former president and CEO of Dimension Therapeutics (NASDAQ), head of global R&D and executive VP at Merck Serono, and senior roles at Bristol Myers-Squibb; British Royal Navy medical officer.
• M. Saikat BanerjeecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerScientific advisor and Chief Investigator of the PEMP observational study at the Rosie Hospital, Cambridge. Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Gynaecological Laparoscopic Surgery; founder and co-lead of CEES-u (Cambridge Endometriosis and Endoscopic Surgery unit); recognised expert with 25+ years of experience.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NextGen Jane: Menstrual fluid-based women's health diagnostics company. Closely comparable to Cyclana's menstrual fluid donation programme and biomarker discovery approach, though NextGen Jane is positioned as a diagnostics platform rather than a drug discovery pipeline.
• DotLab: US-based molecular diagnostics company focused on endometriosis. Directly comparable to Cyclana in endometriosis indication and biomarker-driven approach, though DotLab is diagnostics-focused rather than therapeutics-focused.
• Celmatix: Women's health drug discovery company combining genomics and AI to identify therapeutic targets in reproductive health. Comparable to Cyclana in target-identification focus and women's health indication, but operates at a more mature commercial stage.

Broad incumbents

• Myovant Sciences (Sumitomo Pharma): Women's health-focused pharma (acquired by Sumitomo) with an approved endometriosis therapy (Relugolix/Myfembree). Comparable as an endometriosis commercial competitor and women's health peer, though at vastly greater scale.
• Daré Bioscience: Public women's health biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline in contraception, menopause, and reproductive health. Comparable as a women's health therapeutics peer, though broader in indication and more clinically advanced than Cyclana.
• AbbVie: Global biopharmaceutical company with Orilissa (elagolix), one of the few approved non-surgical endometriosis therapies. Comparable as an established endometriosis incumbent with the resources Cyclana's platform could one day partner with or compete against.

Emerging players

• Organoid Therapeutics: Emerging-stage biotech developing organoid-based drug discovery platforms. Comparable to Cyclana's 3D in vitro tissue-model methodology, though focused on different therapeutic areas and not specifically on women's health.

Others

• Hubrecht Organoid Technology: Organoid technology pioneer stemming from the Clevers lab at the Hubrecht Institute. Comparable as a foundational organoid platform provider; relevant to Cyclana's choice of in vitro model architecture and to potential IP/licensing positioning.
• Crown Bioscience: Preclinical CRO offering organoid and 3D in vitro disease model services. Comparable as an ecosystem participant providing tissue-level disease models that Cyclana's internal platform will partly compete with or utilise.
• DefiniGEN: Provider of iPSC-derived cell models and organoid-based disease models for drug discovery. Comparable as a supplier of in vitro model technology that could either compete with Cyclana's internal capability or partner with it.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cycle-therapeutics
• Instagraminstagram.com/cyclanabio

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cyclana Bio